D3: Observational benchmark data set and a pseudo reality for the validation

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Observational benchmark data sets and pseudo realities will be set up for the validation by WG2. These will comprise climatically distinct regions, e.g., maritime, continental, alpine and Mediterranean climates. The daily station data set will build upon the ECA&D data set publicly available from the Dutch weather service KNMI.

Sub-daily station data will be provided by the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute SMHI for Sweden, MeteoSwiss for the Alps and the Regional Agency for Prevention and Environment ARPA of the Emilia Romagna for a Mediterranean climate. Station data may require the user to individually sign an agreement with the data provider to use the data for scientific purposes only. Additionally, the benchmark data set will contain daily gridded observations for the validation of SDS and in particular RCMs. The latter simulate area averages and are not directly comparable with station observations. As gridded observations, the EOBS data set will be employed, which is the gridded version of the ECA&D station data set developed within the ENSEMBLES project. Several researchers have noted potential weaknesses of the EOBS data set in regions of sparse data (e.g., Herrera et al, 2010), such that the validation will be restricted to selected regions, where a high data quality is ensured.

Currently, a gridded precipitation data set with sub-daily resolution for the Alps, based on a combination of station and radar data, is under development by MeteoSwiss and might be used in a later stage of VALUE. Further data sets which might be available in the future or by further partners joining VALUE at a later stage will be considered additionally.